Jeremy Clarkson Has Some Choice Words For Elon Musk

The Grand Tour host calls the Tesla CEO "petulant," among other things

Jeremy Clarkson and Elon Musk are two of the most outspoken people in the auto industry, and when these two cross paths, fireworks will inevitably start. Ok, so the two haven’t physically met , but Clarkson did have some choice words for Musk during a conversation with the Daily Beast. Not one to mince his words, Jezza called Musk “petulant” and has “sour grapes” over losing a pair of lawsuits he filed against Clarkson’s old show, Top Gear.

tesla roadster

The issues between the two started back in 2008 when Clarkson put the Tesla Roadster to task for running out of power and suffering from brake failure during an episode of Top Gear.

The issues between the two started back in 2008 when Clarkson put the Tesla Roadster to task for running out of power and suffering from brake failure during an episode of Top Gear. Peeved at how the car was reviewed, Musk filed a libel suit against the show, claiming that it faked those scenes for the sake of “entertainment.” He lost the libel case, appealed it, lost again, and has become a critic of Clarkson ever since.

In his own words, Clarkson described his history with Musk to the Daily Beast. “He sued me and lost, he appealed and lost,” he said. “You go online and you read that we ‘made it up,’ that we ‘faked it’… We didn’t.”

“You see, if anybody is going to get sued, I mean you can’t say that sort of thing. I could say all sorts of things about Musk but I won’t. Musk doesn’t like losing. Unfortunately, he did twice… He’s just got sour grapes.”

Clarkson has made great strides in accepting the potential of electric cars, even admitting to being blown away by the new Tesla

To his credit, Clarkson has made great strides in accepting the potential of electric cars, even admitting to being blown away by the new Tesla (presumably the Model X or the Model 3) that he reviewed in the current season of The Grand Tour. “I actually reviewed the new Tesla in the new show and in many ways, it’s tremendous,” he said.

“I’ve got no axe to grind. He’s the only one who ever behaved in such a petulant way — most industry bosses are a lot more grown up.”

Evidently, there’s still no love lost between Clarkson and Musk. Knowing how stubborn these two men are about their ways, don’t expect them to share a pint of beer anytime soon.